ReNU
Niagara is moving its offices downtown - and the institute that
oversees the community-minded program has a new name.

Those
were the announcements made during a press conference held Monday at
ReNU Niagara's new location on the corner of Main Street and Park
Place in Niagara Falls.

Since
being established by Niagara University in 2006, ReNU Niagara has
completed projects addressing urgent community needs and challenges,
including the GreenRoots Leadership Development program and the
Creating A Healthier Niagara Falls program, which is funded by the
John R. Oishei Foundation. Additional ReNU initiatives include the
planting of community vegetable gardens, tax preparation assistance,
resident and organizational training, and GIS asset mapping.

ReNU
Niagara's move downtown is intended to further the university's
presence in Niagara Falls and to strengthen and enhance the growing
number of initiatives aimed at revitalizing the downtown core and its
surrounding neighborhoods.

"My
colleagues from Niagara University and I have long waited for this
day and this event, to have a special place where we could emblazon
our name on a building right here on Main Street in Niagara Falls,"
said the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., NU president. "We invite
residents to come in and talk with us about how we can work together
for a better Niagara Falls, to improve our neighborhoods, to find
justice for those who need it most, to build up a community that is
important to this region. In short, justice for all is what we seek."

ReNU
Niagara program coordinator Tom Lowe said the organization looks
forward to utilizing university resources, expanding on current
partnerships and creating new collaborations to aid in the
revitalization of downtown Niagara Falls and its surrounding
neighborhoods.

"The
vision for ReNU going forward is to keep doing what we have been
successful in: working collaboratively with our community partners
that we have built such great relationships with since 2006 to
address needs and to fill in gaps to allow the neighborhoods to grow
and thrive. We recognize and believe that, in order to revitalize the
City of Niagara Falls as a whole, the downtown core needs to be
stabilized and successful. We look forward to being here to see it
happen."

The
event also served as a platform for the public announcement that
Niagara University's Institute for Civic Engagement will be renamed
the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., Institute for Civic Engagement to
honor the long-tenured president and his commitment to the community.

"Today
I have the great pleasure of announcing that the Niagara University
Board of Trustees is honoring Father Levesque's commitment to
community service in a very special way," said Mary Borgognoni,
Niagara's interim vice president for institutional advancement.
"From this day forward, the Institute for Civic Engagement will be
known as the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., Institute for Civic
Engagement."

Borgognoni
also announced that the university is pursuing a $1 million endowment
to sustain the institute, with more than $200,000 already pledged to
the cause.

The
news was applauded by several members of the Western New York
community, including local developer Craig Avery; Deanna Alterio
Brennen, president and CEO of Niagara USA; Niagara Falls Mayor Paul
Dyster; and Congressman Brian Higgins.

"This
place, in so many ways, represents our aspirations for downtown
Niagara Falls," said Dyster, a member of the university's board
of advisers. "What a fantastic symbol to have this office located
in such a prominent location. I look at this as the beginning of a
great new partnership between Niagara University and the City of
Niagara Falls."

Higgins,
whose office is located in the same building as ReNU Niagara's new
headquarters, agreed with Dyster.

"Universities
play a very unique and critical role in our communities," he said.
"Not only are they responsible for educating and teaching students,
but they also are tasked with engaging them in partnerships that move
the community forward."

"It
will be great to coexist in this facility with staff members from
ReNU Niagara," Higgins added. "The mission of Niagara University
under Father Levesque is not changing, and that mission will be felt
in this area for years to come."

For
more information, contact Dr. David Taylor, executive director of the
institute, at 716-205-0074 or [email protected].